If you’ve always skipped the brothels while in Nevada because they didn’t offer the kind of companionship you’re looking for, Merry Christmas! On Friday, the Nevada Board of Health changed its health code so that male sex workers can be tested regularly for STDs, which means starting next year men can sell sexual favors alongside the women working at the Shady Lady Ranch. [More]
tourism
Las Vegas Builders Say No More New Casinos For The Next Decade
By 10.6.09
We hope you like the current casinos in Las Vegas, because that’s what you can look forward to for the next 10 years or so. No newly built Mount Rushmore facade, no Mini Grand Canyon indoor shopping avenue, no Godzilla-shaped hotel—nothing new to delight the vulgar parts of your optic nerve. The Wall Street Journal says after a decade in which casinos spent more than $30 billion on expansions, they’re now going to pay off debt and focus on “branding, marketing and customer loyalty.”
Danish Government Promotes Unwanted Pregnancies, Tourism
By 9.16.09
Here’s another one for the apology pile: the Danish government is apparently very, very sorry for creating one of the most bizarre tourism campaigns ever. VisitDenmark, which promotes tourism, created a fake website for a pretty young mom who got drunk one night, had sex with a stranger, ended up with a baby, then made an internet video to find the father. The story was purely a hoax—the young woman, an actor; the baby, not hers—and many people sucked in by the sad tale are now pissed off.
Don't Bother Visiting The Grand Canyon Skywalk
By 8.27.09
Update: We asked the Skywalk to confirm that they have a “no-refunds” policy. Their answer is at the bottom of this post.
Don't Bother Visiting These Tourist Attractions
By 8.19.09
Andrew Harper at Yahoo!’s travel site has published a list of U.S. tourist destinations that aren’t worth the time it would take to tromple* through them on your way to the gift shop. We’re disappointed he left Seattle’s Pike Place off the list, but the rest are pretty spot on.
Want Free Health Care? Visit Mexico City
By 6.9.09
Although the A/H1NI flu virus (referred to as the swine flu) outbreak didn’t kill everyone like alarmist media commentary led us to believe it would, it did deal a devastating blow to the Mexican tourism industry. The sprawling metropolis’s hotels are lonely places these days, sitting at 27 percent capacity compared to 50 percent a year ago.
NYC's New High-Tech Public Bathroom Is Freaky, Robotic
By 1.26.08
For years, New York City was a grim place to be when you had to use the bathroom, since there are almost no public facilities (not counting Starbucks). But earlier this month the first of 20 high-tech pay toilets opened in the city, in Madison Square Park just north of 23rd Street. Now the next time you visit the city and need to answer nature’s call, grab a quarter and head over there to experience the strange combination of a $100,000 prison cell/car wash/elevator/Louvre. It’s the cheapest “experience” you’ll probably find in the city.
London Launches SMS Toilet Locator Service
By 11.30.07
Beginning today, if you’re in the Westminster area of London and text the word “toilet” to 80097, you’ll be sent the location of the nearest bathroom. The service costs 25 pence ($0.52) per request.
Should Airports Use Art To Improve Their Image?
By 7.31.07
Airports throughout the nation are stocking up on art to entertain bored passengers and promote the local economy. Atlanta already has 300 pieces of art, including “a large display of stone sculptures from Zimbabwe,” a collection rivaled by Phoenix’s 500 pieces, such as “strands-of-light-reflecting-glass artwork.” Are these cultural offerings pleasant distractions, or intrusive nuisances? Vote in our poll, after the jump.
24 Hour Vegas Wedding Window Slimmed To 16
By 8.25.06
The halcyon days of jumping into your rusty Impala with your teenage bride and driving off to Vegas to get married by Black Elvis at dawn in Vegas are soon to be forever gone.
We Will Build Irish Pubs For You, Wholesale
By 3.20.06
A late Saint Patrick’s day for you: Slate is taking a look at the construction of “traditional Irish pubs” across the world.
